Avantika Singh, better known as General Gosling, was born aboard a Boeing 747 somewhere over the Arabian Sea. Gosling and her siblings - Duckling and the twins Dingaling and Dumpling - have been brought up at Shadow House by their grandfather, the crazy, zany Nana and his lovely partner Shabby Aunty. Nana, an ex-army surgeon, is completely whacko and life at Shadow House is exasperating, funny and unforgettable, what with Nana's fixation for his ten Classic and Vintage cars, Duckling's collections of virtually everything 'collectible' and the twins' notorious business swindles. But then when it becomes clear that Nana is slowly falling prey to dementia and Alzheimer's, his daughter makes diabolical plans for him-and for the children's future. Plans that Gosling and the others are determined to thwart, without foreseeing how terribly things could go wrong for everyone. Will dear nutcase Nana survive all this and return to his beloved Shadow House and Shabby Aunty? At once funny and heart-breaking, Our Nana Was a Nutcase is a delightfully touching story about growing up, growing old and loving your grandparent no matter how nutty he may seem. A Children's Bookshelf Selection: Each month our editor's pick the best books for children and young adults by age to be a part of the children's bookshelf. These are editorial recommendations made by our team of experts. Our monthly reading list includes a mix of bestsellers and top new releases and evergreen books that will help enhance a child's reading life.

His stories instruct and entertain, bringing the past of Indian Railways alive in the present. Did you know that India's first steam engine never ran on tracks and was actually used to run driving mills in a factory? That the maximum speed of the first commercial train in India was 4.5 miles/hour?

Sreedharan's expertise and foresight-on behalf of those not as richly blessed as he was-ensured that political will was converted into a multipurpose railway project. The [Chithoni railway link] bridge was completed eleven weeks ahead of schedule and proved to be helpful to one and all. Two key railway projects changed the way India travels by train-the 760-km stretch of Konkan Railway and the Delhi Metro. Both the projects were up and running in seven years flat and the man in charge was Dr Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, popularly known as the Railway Man. He has been hailed as the messiah of new-age infrastructure projects and his success stories have become railway engineering benchmark. Respected, loved and equally hated, this book covers the amazing story of one man-his perseverance, beliefs, and public and private battles. India's Railway Man: A Biography of E. Sreedharan is a tribute to this extraordinary man.

The fascinating story of the network that made modern India The railways brought modernity to India. Its vast network connected the far corners of the subcontinent, making travel, communication and commerce simpler than ever before. Even more importantly, the railways played a large part in the making of the nation: by connecting historically and geographically disparate regions and people, it forever changed the way Indians lived and thought, and eventually made a national identity possible. This engagingly written, anecdotally told history captures the immense power of a business behemoth as well as the romance of train travel; tracing the growth of the railways from the 1830s (when the first plans were made) to Independence, Bibek Debroy and his co-authors recount how the railway network was built in India and how it grew to become a lifeline that still weaves the nation together. This latest volume in The Story of Indian Business series will delight anyone interested in finding out more about the Indian Railways.

Following independence, the Nehruvian approach to socialism in India rested on three pillars: secularism and democracy in the political domain, state intervention in the economy, and diplomatic non-alignment mitigated by pro-Soviet leanings after the 1960s. These features defined a distinct "Indian model," if not the country's political identity. From this starting point, Christophe Jaffrelot traces the transformation of India throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, particularly the 1980s and 90s. The world's largest democracy has sustained itself by embracing not only the vernacular politicians of linguistic states, but also Dalits and "Other Backward Classes," or OBCs. The simultaneous--and related--rise of Hindu nationalism has put minorities--and secularism--on the defensive. In many ways the rule of law has been placed on trial as well. The liberalization of the economy has resulted in growth, yet not necessarily development, and India has acquired a new global status, becoming an emerging power intent on political and economic partnerships with Asia and the West. The traditional Nehruvian system is giving way to a less cohesive though more active India, a country that has become what it is against all odds. Jaffrelot maps this tumultuous journey, exploring the role of religion, caste, and politics in determining the fabric of a modern democratic state.